Attorney general candidates debate in Brockton

The Brockton Area Branch of the NAACP played host to a voter information forum Tuesday evening featuring the two Democratic candidates for Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey and Warren Tolman.

BROCKTON – Opiate abuse and domestic violence were just two of the topics that Democrat candidates for attorney general, Maura Healey and Warren Tolman addressed during a candidates forum on Tuesday.

The event, which was put on by the Brockton Area Branch of the NAACP and hosted at the Fuller Craft Museum, gave the candidates time to stake out their positions on the issues and address the estimated 75 voters in attendance.

During the forum, Healey, who has served in the Office of the Attorney General for the last seven years as the chief of the Civil Rights Division and the director of the Public Protection and Advocacy and Business and Labor Bureaus, focused on her experience in the office.

“I understand firsthand the ability and processes of this office,” Healey said. “Part of being able to deliver on shared principles and shared promises is experience. Experience matters.”

Tolman, a former state legislator who has worked as an attorney in the private sector for the last decade, also focused on his experience, referencing his battle with big tobacco while pushing for legislation to rein in the cigarette industry while in the Legislature.

When asked how he would address Massachusetts’ ongoing opiate abuse epidemic, Tolman indicated that he would not be afraid to take on another business colossus, the pharmaceutical industry, referencing two California counties who have sued some of the world’s largest narcotics manufacturers.

“Why is big pharma not producing these prescription pills in a tamper-resistant form to begin with,” Tolman asked.

Tolman also said that healthcare providers must do more to ensure that substance abusers can get treatment.

“When addict wants help, they want help now,” Tolman said. “If today is Monday, they might not want help on Tuesday.”

While Healey agreed with the need to add beds tom aid in the rehabilitation of substance-abuse patients, she also advocated for other measures, such as pharmacy lock-ins, which prevent potential prescription drug abusers from filling prescriptions at multiple pharmacies as well as prescription monitoring programs for doctors, which Healey said have been found to be effective in other states.

The candidates also addressed the issue of domestic violence during the forum, which had been a hot-button topic in Brockton after two recent fatal incidents.

During her response, Healey described a recent experience where she visited victims of domestic violence living in a shelter, highlighting the need to find places for these women to go once they flee their attackers.

“We need housing for survivors, affordable housing,” Healey said.

She added that the criminal justice system also must do their part in putting away those who commit acts of domestic violence.

Page 2 of 2 - “We need to fund the processing of criminal investigations,” noting the backlog of rape kit tests in the state. “Otherwise, survivors are re-victimized.”

In his response, Tolman said he wanted to establish a bureau in the attorney general’s office focused on violence against women. He also advocated the creation of a “no drop” policy that would allow police to pursue charges against the perpetrators of domestic violence even the victim decides to drop the charges.

Among the other topics addressed during the forum were the housing crisis, equal access to healthcare and institutional racism in Massachusetts.